Hi everyone!
Empire Water Works' Demo is just DAYS away (June 19th!), so I wanted to post a development update (#4!) here on Steam about all the latest notable inclusions to the game since my last Dev Log (#3) in early April!
In a word, a MOUNTAIN of stuff has been happening! I have hardly had time to scratch myself (I am a solo dev working on this outside of real life commitments) 😅 hence why I've been a bit lacking on the dev log front, but I can't wait for you all to experience the Demo!
Whilst a lot of the features below are included in the Demo, once we hit Early Access paid release (and beyond), they will start to become enhanced even further, so please don't take any of what you see below as final - in fact, this is just the start of the journey, and if you're here, you're getting-in on the ground floor. 😎
Also a quick note, whilst the Demo is due for release on the 19th June, my work won't be over just yet!
I will continue to tweak, polish and balance, and I invite you to have your say in this regard too!
You will notice the Demo HUD will include such terms as "work in progress" and that's how I envision it will remain for some time. I want to get the Demo to an 'optimum place' and become a solid foundation, before I move on too much further to actual development of the Early Access build later this year.
Previously, I published video development logs on YouTube, so if you wish to catch-up on what was mentioned previously, please see the video links at the end of this post, otherwise, let's dive in to Dev Log #4!
Diesel Generator
Deep in the basement of your pumping station, is a perfectly operational diesel engine with a direct-driven generator. When you first arrive onsite, the pumping station circuits are set to 'Generator' source, meaning that you will have no power for lighting, etc, unless you power-up the diesel engine.
In Empire Water Works, you have the option for two distinct sources of electricity (which you can select from the junction box in the Office):
Diesel Generator or,
Power Grid
Each power source has its pros/cons. The diesel generator will provide you a self-sufficient source of power, no matter what's happening in the outside world! The downsides are that its voltage output is lower than the power grid (and the more 'loads' you put on it, the more its output voltage will 'sag') and it is vulnerable to flooding if you manage to flood the basement! You'll know if you've flooded the basement, because (aside from a very wet steam engine flywheel) your lights will start to flicker and your generator definitely won't look happy!
Diesel fuel for the generator is stored in a bulk storage tank outside. In the Demo, you cannot order additional diesel fuel re-supply, however the amount of diesel in the tank should allow for several in-game days of usage if you so wish.
We also have the power grid source option. This will provide you uninterrupted (by default) high voltage (~200 volts) day and night, regardless of your flooding level! It will however accrue power grid usage costs and these are billed at the beginning of each day shift. The current (and lifetime) charges are displayed in your Ledger. In the Game Options, you can enable 'power grid outages' if you so wish...this will introduce random power grid failures into your game play experience...keep your lantern nearby if you're working the night shift...and maybe have the diesel generator on standby?
Upgrades & Merit System
There is a progression system in the form of 'Merit' points which you will (hopefully) accrue over time as you play Empire Water Works!
At the moment, successfully completing Contracts within the game will reward you with variable amounts of Merit. You can spend your Merit points on applying a range of Upgrades either directly to the pumping station, or as additional tools and items that will enhance your role or add some convenience!
The Demo has two upgrades that you can apply, however as you might imagine, Early Access and v1.0 will contain more! I am definitely open to community feedback on the possible upgrades too!
Boiler Fire Tube Maintenance
This has been a somewhat recent addition to the game, and is a feature you will have to contend with in the Demo. The way it works is this:
As you use the boiler, the fire tubes will build-up 'virtual carbon' and this means the fire generation rate will lose its efficiency.
Essentially, when starting a fire from ambient temps, you will notice it will take longer and longer to reach maximum temperature (800 degrees C). This means it will take longer and longer to raise your steam pressure at the start of each shift.
You will also notice that smoke will start coming back out of the firebox area instead of flowing up through the tubes and the chimney. When this occurs, the in-game character will begin coughing. This is your cue to cool things down, open the smoke box door at the other end of the boiler and - using the boiler brush - clean the fire tubes!
There are several 'stages' of cleanliness for the tubes and these are shown on the HUD display. If you have the HUD turned off, simply keep cleaning the tubes until all visible dust and soot stops filling the air.
On average, you will find that at the end of each shift (e.g. a day shift) or the beginning of the next shift, you should give the fire tubes a good scrub, to ensure your fire performs at its optimum and you don't cough too much!
Note: every time your character in-game coughs, they lose some 'energy', and thus will grow 'tired / 'very tired' quicker! A tired in-game character currently experiences visual blur/chromatic aberration effects (however these visual effects can be disabled in the Game Options if desired).
Reservoir Leaks
The three reservoirs (Residential, Municipal and Industrial) aren't perfect! They have the chance of spawning leaks, which then get placed into a 'repair' queue to be fixed after a variable amount of time.
Reservoir leaks as you can imagine, will work against you, as they will drain the reservoirs slightly more over time (in addition to the normal 'base' demand that the reservoirs already have from the town).
You will receive phone calls advising you of reservoir leak status (so make sure you answer the phone!)
If you're down in the basement however and miss the call, never fear, a status form on the noticeboard will track the status of reservoir leaks, as well as the status being available on the on-screen HUD.
Depending on the pressure within the reservoir at the time of the leak spawning, that will determine the severity of the leaks (and the leak rate behind the scenes is not fixed, each leak category seen below has a variable range of leak rate:
-'Minor' leaks - these aren't much to write home about; in fact they will hardly make a dent in the reservoir's pressure and are generally fixed-up before too long.
-'Notable' leaks - these are a bit more of a concern, but still nothing too serious.
-'Severe' leaks - these are definitely more of a concern and will have a rather noticeable effect on a reservoir's pressure. You can still pump against these and maintain (and slightly improve) pressure, but it will definitely take some hard work from you and the steam engine to maintain the pressure!
The good news is, you should not be encountering "severe" types of leaks unless you have been a bit careless and over-pressurized a reservoir!
Note that you can toggle on/off reservoir leaks on a per-reservoir basis in the Game Options if you wish.
River Inlet Valve Settings
For those of you hoping to jam open the River Inlet Valves 100% and pump all the water in the river to the town in 10 minutes, you will quickly find that it's not as simple as that!
Not only does pumping copious amounts of water result in excess water hammer and vibration (which you WILL feel under your feet! And which will put more strain on your pumps), it also won't go down well with the town! You may even lose reputation points!
Water Pump Head Bolt Failures
Now, this game play mechanic arguably adds a lot of 'chaos' to the experience of playing Empire Water Works!
Opening the River Inlet Valves to higher amounts will pump more water, but you will start hearing moaning and groaning from your pumps downstairs! Worst case, the head bolts keeping everything contained on the pumps may suddenly POP and you'll know because you will hear it and see it!
The good news is that if you keep your pumped-water volumes under control by keeping the reigns on your River Inlet Valves (i.e. don't open them up too much!), then you shouldn't experience these sudden head bolt failures very often.
If you do however experience these bolt failures, it's nothing that the correct wrench cannot sort out for you! If you leave things as-is in this state, you will find the basement will start flooding...
You as the character, cannot currently drown in the Demo...but that might change in the future!
'Verbose' Telephone
Your telephone is effectively your lifeline to the outside world! You use it to order supplies of coal and steam oil, as well as requesting the fabled Gatehouse to change the water output valve which controls which reservoir your mighty steam engine pumps to!
Not only that however, the telephone is also capable of receiving ALL MANNER of calls! Many of these are dynamic (meaning they mirror your current situation), and others, completely random! There are around 40 unique telephone calls you may receive depending on your current situation, and these will be greatly expanded in the Early Access and v1.0 release!
Be careful maintaining your reservoir pressures, because over-pressure is just as bad (if not worse!) than under-pressure!
Steam Whistle(s)
There are currently TWO (2) steam whistles available within the pumping station (Type 1 & 2); the smaller of the two can be used to signal internal happenings within the pumping station (refer to the 'Whistle Codes' plaque placed here and there in the pumping station). The larger one is outside and this one should only be used in anger in case you need to summon the Gatehouse for after-hours attendance!
This video I recently released shows the smaller Type 1 whistle in action!
View game pageTool Highlight Icons
Another recent addition, these icons hover above your pickup items (such as your shovel, lighter, wrenches, etc) and allow you to locate them at-a-glance no matter where they are! This is particularly handy for when you drop a wrench in the dirt down in the basement at night time! This feature can be toggled using the 'T' key.
Boiler Safety Valve
All boilers needs a safety valve! They are the only thing between you and a nasty boiler explosion!
In the Demo, your Safety Valve is 100% fool-proof and won't let you down (you should hear it 'clicking' away during activation, with a visual plume of excess steam exiting from it), but in Early Access and beyond, I have big plans for this device!
Not only will you be able to 'tinker' with it to squeeze more 'oomph' from the boiler and boost your steam engine (at the cost of a few boiler integrity % points...), but it may also have maintenance requirements...and neglecting those could result in some rather unhappy consequences!
Note: in the Demo, if you run the boiler dry long enough to deplete its integrity rating, it can still explode, so beware!
Contracts System Visual Improvements
The contracts within the game have been improved with additional 'stamps' that denote statuses for the contracts and if you're on-track (or not) and when funding is due to paid-out, etc.
Starting Tutorial
A detailed 15-20 minute 'Starting Tutorial' is offered to new players as soon as they walk in the front door - I will acknowledge first up - it's rather detailed! Unfortunately, there's a lot to know when it comes to running the steam engine properly...and neglect and carelessness will lead to often-irreparable problems such as cylinder wear and boiler explosions! If you're feeling rather confident however, you can skip the Starting Tutorial if you wish and jump straight into the action!
Summary
As you can probably tell, your work will be cut-out for you in the Demo! You will hardly have a moment to yourself (that darn phone is ringing again!), but all jokes aside, if you find that things are just too hectic and you're struggling to maintain reservoir pressures (or maybe you just want a chill session running the steam engine...), you have a slew of reservoir demand sliders (min/max rates of demand) that you can adjust under the Game Options dialog in the Pause menu (here, you'll also find other settings to adjust, too!) - so you can make Empire Water Works as casual or as chaotic as you like!
Also - the Ledger is your friend! Refer to it frequently, and remember that you can 'Add to Ledger' a lot of the gauge read-outs that you encounter in the pumping station (there is a chance of adding the wrong readings too if you're not careful!).
I hope this been an interesting and informative post about what you can expect with the Demo! Remember that you also have access to a detailed Operations Manual any time, and this is in the Office!
Finally, at the end of the Demo (on the 14th in-game day), the Demo will end (if you've made it that far without going bankrupt, losing all your reputation or blowing up the boiler, congratulations by the way!), and you will receive a game play report that will grade you on your performance:
Thanks for reading, if you've made it this far! I will catch you all again on the 19th!!! (nervous!)
************************Thank you so much for you support! ************************
😎